Strategic University Timetabling

The objective of the project is to conduct research in timetabling as a tool for strategic decision making at universities. Timetabling problems have been researched for decades, especially the tactical timetabling problem, which deals with the allocation of timeslots and rooms for a number of events where the goal is to schedule assignments. However, the strategic timetabling problem is a newly discovered subfield.
The strategic timetabling problem is dealing with the efficient allocation of overall resources, e.g. building stock and teaching periods, where the goal is to control quality and costs. Furthermore, the project aims to research in decision supporting algorithms that can help the university management in utilizing the resources more efficiently. In addition, it should be possible to do what-if analyses on which resources are needed in the future.

Hypothesis

Resource requirements of a university timetable can be mathematically modelled, thus enabling resource utilization to be improved using Operations Research methods.